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When Your Passion Is Compassion

Marianne’s first rescue, Trece.

March 2017

In March 2017, Marianne Cox achieved one of her lifelong dreams. An avid traveler with a love for animals, Marianne and her family would always leave their trips to foreign countries feeling disheartened at the number of stray dogs living in the streets. Marianne knew she could do more, and she vowed to one day “save one of those street dogs.” Little did she realize, her passion to save a single dog would rapidly take off to change the lives of hundreds of street dogs desperately in need of help.

With no prior experience of running a nonprofit, Marianne established Street Dog Hero (SDH), a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity based out of Bend, Oregon. Over her family’s spring break vacation to Sayulita, Mexico, Marianne contacted a local organization and made arrangements to bring her first street dog back home with her. On March 30th, 2017, the Cox family flew Trece, a Vizsla mix deemed a pest in the community and who was in danger of being poisoned, from Sayulita, Mexico to Oregon. Within three days, they were able to find Trece (now KC) a permanent home in Bend.

Since then, Street Dog Hero has been able to fly hundreds of dogs from around the globe to loving homes in the Pacific Northwest. By focusing her rescue efforts on dogs living outside of the United States, Marianne seeks to fill a void in rescue operations. Street Dog Hero has saved dogs from Mexico, India, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, China, South Korea, Albania, and dogs from overcrowded shelters in Texas, Ohio, and California.

In addition to rescuing there is a growing and overwhelming need to combat dog overpopulation in many developing countries, and Marianne is tackling that issue by teaming up with rescue partners around the world. Street Dog Hero strives to help transform some of these communities by participating in pop-up spay and neuter clinics and conducting community outreach and education work. SDH employee’s, volunteers and community members participate in these clinics several times a year.

In addition to her rescue efforts, Marianne works to raise awareness about what these dogs face around the world and hopes to inspire the next generation of animal lovers to do more. Wanting her kids to be involved in her rescue, she started a mighty league of “Junior Heroes” who are taught the value of animal welfare, volunteering, and giving back to the community. She also designed an education program in local schools to promote the care of and respect for homeless dogs.

Street Dog Hero is not a physical shelter, and we depend on foster homes to house our animals prior to adoption. We operate largely with the help of rescue partners and volunteers from around the world. After receiving notification of a dog in need from a foreign rescue partner, SDH confirms the dog is healthy and adoptable and makes travel arrangements to transport the dog to the Pacific Northwest. Every dog our rescue organization accepts will be spayed/neutered, treated for parasites, checked and treated for any medical conditions, microchipped, and given all vaccinations. We rely on donations, grants, and loyal supporters to continue our rescue mission.

We are a registered 501c3 non-profit EIN#82-0916174 in Bend, Oregon.

Founder Marianne Cox talks about the first time she saw a street dog and what inspired her to start Street Dog Hero.